Apparatus with feathering blades for obtaining



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. AVET. APPARATUS WITH PBATHBRING BLADBsFoR OBTAINING MOTIVB POWER.

' Arm/Mfrs 1 rens ammore-mum, wnsumuwn o c (No Model.)l

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. 11.411111 l APPARATUS WITH FBATHERING BLADES POROBTAINING R. E W 0 P E v V I T 0 M 110. 441,461. Patented Nov. 25, 1890.

a UNITED STATES PATENT (Murcia.

HENRI AVET, OF TURIN, ITALY.

APPARATUS WITH FEATHERlNG-BLADESFOR OBTAINING MOTIVE POWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,461, dated November25, 1890.

Application iiled January 10, 1890. Serial No. 336,599. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRI AVET, retired general, of 17 Corso Vinzalio,Turin, Italy, have invented new or improved rotary apparatus withfeathering vanes or blades to be employed for obtaining motive power,propelling vessels, measuring the flow of iiuid, or other similarpurposes, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to an apparatus constructed in the form of a Wheelcarrying vanes or blades which are caused bya suitable combination ofmechanism to rotate on their own axes as they are carried around thecentral axis of the wheel, the relation between the rotary motion of thevanes or blades on their own axes and the. mot-ion by which they revolvearound the common center being regulated and controlled according to theprinciples hereinafter described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

- Figure 1 is a diagram showing the relative positions of the axis ofthe vane to the een# tral axis. Figs. 2 and 5bis are diagrams showingvarious positions which 'the vane may take during each revolution. Figs.3, 4, and 5 are diagrams showing the relative positions of the differentvanes. Fig. 6 is a vertical section, and Fig. 7 a plan of the mechanismfor rotating the vanes.

p (see Fig. l of the accompanying drawingsj is a vane capable ofrotation on an axis or shaft a, carried by supports s s. These supportsare secured to a central rotating shaft A A, and in certain cases theplanetary shaft a a may be supported at one end only on the same side ofthe vane, so that the latter is left quite free, at the same timeinsuring sufficient support to the shaft a. When the central shaft Arotates, the vane p p revolves around the shaft as a center, and throughthe action of mechanism (hereinafter described) acting on the shaft a aisobliged at the same time to rotate on its own axis in such a manner asto take successively-inclined positions, as shown in Fig. 2-that is, tosay, it stands tangentially to the circle of rotation when at a pointe,Fig. 2, and in all the other positions a prolongation of its planesurface invariably passes through this same point a, Fig. 2.

If instead of a single vane there are sev-y eral-say, for example, four,as in Fig. 3- when one of these vanes stands at a tangent, as at thepoint a, then the other three assume the positions b c el, and onrotation each one in its turn occupies the tangential positionrepresented at a. When a current of water, for example, acts on thevanes or blades thus arranged in the direction shown by the arrow E,Fig. 3, its action on each and every blade in all of their successivepositions isfavorable to or tends to produce a rotating movement aroundthe center A in the direction d c b, except at the moment when they passand stand-at a tangent to the circle of rotation at the point a. Now ifthis position be changed so that it may be at c, for example, Fig. 4,instead of at a, (this change being readily produced by the mechanism.here-l inafter described,) the rotation about the center A, instead ofbeing in the direction d c b, will now be in the reverse direction d ab. The action takes place in'an analogous manner when one or more ofsuch wheels, actuated by a motor driving the central shaft A,.

are employed as propellers, and by changing the point where thepropeller-blades stand tangentially the direction of the propulsionproduced can be changed in a horizontal plane if the wheels rotate in ahorizontal plane, or in a vertical plane if rotating in a verticalplane, for example.

The operation of changing the direction can be easily effected withoutinterrupting or modifying the action of the motor. first case(horizontal plane) the motion can be changed to the right or to left .orbackward, for example. In the second case (vertical plane) the motioncan be produced in a In the.

or descending motion.. A propelling or steering action to the right orleft can also be .obtained by causing the two wheels, when a pair ofwheels is employed, to act in opposite'directions relatively to oneanother.

Theory of the mechanism-If the vane p p', Fig. 5, were carried round the.circle of rotation without any independent motion on its own axis itwould. return to the point a after .having described in space onerevolution on itself. If during the movement of rotation about thecenter Athe vane were.

continually moved backward on its own axis ICO through an angle O, Fig.5A, equal to half the angle B', corresponding tothe arc of a circle a b,which it has traversed, it will only make half of a complete revolutionon its own axis by the time it has traveled once round the center A, andin all positions the vane will be in planes passingthrough the point a,and on returning to this point it will again stand at a tangent, butwith its edge p in front instead of the edge p.

Mechanism-The mechanism for obtaining this result is illustrated invertical section in Fig. 6 and in plan in Fig. 7 of the accompanyingdrawings.

R and R are two toothed or spur wheels connected bya sleeve or tube m,the internal diameter of which is a trifle longer than that of thecentral shaft A. This sleeve does not touch the shaft, except at itsextremities, which project beyond the wheels and are of conical shape.The tube is consequently able to turn upon the shaft with very littlefriction. In like manner the shaft can turn with little friction in thesaid tube or sleeve m.

C is a toothed or spur wheel of a diameter double that of the wheel Rand provided with exactly twice as many teeth as that wheel.

B is an intermediate toothed Wheel or pinion, or may be a toothedcylinder movable on its axis, being similar to the pinion-wire ortoothed cylinders commonly employed by clock-makers. This wheel issimply an intermediary, and its diameter is immaterial, provided thatits teeth gear properly with the spur-Wheels.

The Wheels B and C are connected by their spindles to the support orplate S, carrying the vanes or blades. During the rotary motion (theWheel R being maintained stationary by mechanism acting on the wheel R)the pinion B travels round the wheel R in the direction of the rotationof the central shaft A and causes the Wheel C to move in the oppositedirection With an angular speed equal to onehalf of that of the saidshaft or support of the vanes.

The Wheel C is connected to an eccentric or crank E. The upper end ofeach vane shaft or spindle a is provided with an exactly similar crank.These cranks are so adj usted that the crank on one vane-jnamely, theleft-hand vane in the drawings-is in a line with the plane of the vane;but the next or second crank stands at an angle of forty-five degrees tothe vane, the third at ninety degrees, and the fourth at one hundred andthirty-five degrees. The tive cranks all rotate in the same direction,the crank-pins being caused to work in five corresponding holes in amovable frame M, the said holes being bored to coincide exactly with theaxis of the wheel C and of the four vanes which are thus caused to turnbackward on their own axes (at the point which they occupy in the circleof rotation) through an angle equal to half the angle through which theywould.

have moved in traveling from the point at which they stand at a tangentto the circle of rotation if they had no motion about their own axes,and the crank on the wheel C being rigidly connected to the four cranksE on the vanes the latter are invariably placed at the required vane.The Wheel R being maintained stationary by parts acting on the wheel R,the point at which all the vanes in turn are caused to standtangentially to the circle of rotation remains in one position. Thisposition may, however, be changed at will and shifted in eitherdirection by rotating the wheel R, and thereby rotating the wheel R.

The diameter of the wheelRis immaterial; but the number of its teethshould be a factor or a multiple of those of the wheel R in order toobtain with certainty the displacements required by acting on the WheelR. The said displacements may be con veniently indicated by a needle orpointer showing on a dial the point at which the vanes stand at atangent and indicating the displacement of the said point.

The wheel R may be moved by means of another toothed wheel or pinion,or, as in the arrangement illustrated, by means of an endless screw orWorm i; on a shaft r, which can be rotated by means of a crank soranyother suitable arrangement of mechanism.

When an apparatus operating as hereinbefore described is employed as anaerial motor, the Wheel R is removed and in its place a vane is attachedto the cylinder or sleeve m, which acts on the Wheel R in the directionof the Wind, so that the vanes or blades always present themselves tangentially in this direction. The shaft may either rotate with the vanes`or may be iixed, the vanes with their supports rotating upon it.

In applying this apparatus as a propeller for ships and the like, withthe Wheels acting vertically, the mechanism is nclosed in a cylinder,the base of which forms a support for the shafts of the blades. Thiscylinder is placed in the side of the vessel, so as not to oifer anyresistance to its progress and to ad- 'mit of rotating with the bladesupon the small cylinder or sleeve m, and consequently on the shaft A.This shaft and that part of the cylinder which carries the wheel R alonerequire to pass into the interior of the vessel, where the shaftreceives the movement necessary for its action, and where the wheel R orits equivalent is shifted according to the changes to be produced in thepropelling action of the blades.

The construction of the parts of the apparatus illustrated in Figs. Gand 7 of the accompanying drawings is merely given as an example inorder to explain the principles of the construction and action ofaworking apparatus according to my invention in such a manner as toenable the said invention to be performed. The forms, dimensions,materials, and arrangement of the details must IIO evidently be modifiedaccording to the purposes to which the apparatus is applied.

It is evident that apparatus constructed and Operating as hereinbefo'redescribed is capable of being employed with great advantage in a varietyof applicationsin which mechanical effect is required to be produced bythe Aaction of iiuids in motion, or in which mechanical action isrequired to be exerted ou a iluid, for example, the apparatus being ineither case either partly or completely submerged in the iiuid.

Employed as an hydraulic motor or water- Wheel, the apparatus presentsthe valuable advantage of admitting of being constructed so as tO beconveniently transported from place to place. In the form of a propellerit admits of being Worked so as to act either horizontally orvertically. In shallow Waters it is capable When'working horizontally ofbeing employed With good elect in from twenty to thirty centimeters, orabout one foot of Water.

The apparatus may also be employed for aerial navigation, or for aidingvessels to get in or out of harbors, or as a meter for measuring theflow of currents of Water, or the speed of vessels, Or as a blowing orventilating apparatus, for example.

Having noW particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declarethat what I claim isl. An apparatus comprising a supportingframe, vanesor blades rotating on axes carried by the supporting-frame and parallelto and revolving around a central axis, cranks attached to the axes ofthe vanes, a frame engaging the crank-pins, mechanism for actuating thislatter frame, whereby the blades are rotated, and means for changing theposition of the frame in relation to the central axis, as and for thepurposes set forth.

2. An apparatus consistingof asupportingframe rotating on a centralaxis, blades Whose axes are carried by the said frame and are parallelto the central axis, cranks attached to the axes of the vanes, anothercrank, a stationary cog gearing With this latter crank, andaframeengaging all the cranks, substantially as described.

3. An apparatus consisting Of a supportingframe rotating on a centralaxis, blades Whose axes are carried by the frame, spur-Wheels R and C,and intermediate pinion B to rotate the axes of the blades, the cog Rnormally remaining stationary, but capable of adjustment, whereby therelative positions of the blades to the central axis may be regulated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HENRI AVET. Witnesses:

ALESSANDRO MAURO, GIOVANNI ANTONIO VANOTOGUA.

